


A Challenge Accepted

by Dragonlingdar



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Feelings Realization, Kissing, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 05:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19968616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonlingdar/pseuds/Dragonlingdar
Summary: Olberic never backed down from any challenge Erhardt issued, no matter what it was.





	A Challenge Accepted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brutal_Harrier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brutal_Harrier/gifts).



> Fluffy Olberhardt is fluffy. This is set pre-fall of Hornburg, so imagine that Olberic and Erhardt are, oh, 20ish.
> 
> I am not your creator, but I hope you enjoy this just the same!

Since Olberic had first met Erhardt, they had engaged in a never-ending series of challenges. At first, the competitions were sincere--he and Erhardt had _hated_ each other the first time they saw each other. As they became friends, however, the challenges had evolved from true challenges to something more like playful dares.

While Olberic would admit that he wasn’t exactly the most _observant_ person in Osterra, even he had noticed the change without the help of the snide commentary from the other soldiers. Originally, his and Erhardt’s competitions had mostly been tests of physical and martial prowess--who could climb the tallest tree, who was better at using various weapons, how many duels they had won or lost while sparring, who could run the farthest or fastest. Sometimes it was stupid things, like who could hold their breath the longest, or who could eat the most of something without getting sick, and one _disastrous_ drinking competition. 

However, as time had passed, he found things also becoming more...intimate, in a way. Who could tell the dirtiest joke. Who could make the other crack up while sparring. Who was better at sneaking past instructors and guards. Who could carry the other the farthest. Who knew better scary stories. Who could track better, with the other serving as the quarry. It was no longer about winner or loser, but more about finding excuses to spend time with Erhardt outside of drills and campaigns and training. 

To spend time with Erhardt _alone_.

Olberic knew the jokes and rumors about himself and Erhardt, certainly--he wasn’t _deaf_ and people weren’t subtle. He tended to blow them off; people liked to talk, and romance was one of the topics of gossip that people seemed to enjoy the most--soldiers, servents, and nobility alike.

_I don’t understand how or why they think Erhardt and I are a couple,_ Olberic thought as he stood guard duty on the palace walls, a clearly bored Erhardt leaning against the stone ledge that projected out of the wall. _I love Erhardt, I will not deny that, but as a brother, a friend, a comrade, and, in truth, a rival as well. He is the only one who can match me at all in skill or strength of arms--of course I spend as much time with him as possible. I am also the only person he can tolerate besides himself, and I believe that we both genuinely enjoy each other’s company._

Olberic stood with Erhardt and watched the dying sun paint the city beneath them in firey hues of gold, red, and orange, the light reflecting off of the perpetually snow-covered peaks of the mountains that protected the city-state from assault. Smoke rose from the chimneys below as the common folk gathered for the evening meal after a long day at work. Candles were lit in windows and rowdy music drifted up to them every now and then along with the combined scent of humanity, food, and the hardy, pungent flowers that crept through the cracks in the mountains. It was a sight that Olberic had watched--and enjoyed--for years, first as a page, then a squire, and then as a knight.

_I am proud to wield my blade in the protection of king and kingdom,_ Olberic thought, not bothering to stop a smile. 

“You’re in a good mood tonight.”

Olberic turned to look at Erhardt, who was giving him a wry half-smile.

“It is a beautiful evening,” Olberic responded. “And guard duty is always pleasant when I am sharing it with you. What is not to like?”

Erhardt snorted and turned his gaze back to the city. “Hours of tedium, that is what.”

Olberic couldn’t help but admire how the dying sunlight caught in Erhardt’s hair, how it highlighted his facial features and made _him_ seem to almost glow as well. The image made the man ethereal, nearly divine, and Olberic was surprised to find that he was having some trouble breathing.

“Do I have something on my face?” Erhardt half-teased when he caught Olberic looking at him. 

“Just sunlight,” Olberic responded. 

“You know what they say about staring into the sun, Olberic,” Erhardt said. “Look at it too long, and you won’t be able to look at anything ever again.”

“Don’t give yourself so much credit,” Olberic drawled to hide momentary discomfiture.

Erhardt snickered. “It _is_ a pretty sunset, though.”

Olberic hummed and looked back at the city.

Sunset turned into twilight, which slowly turned into night. A page came by and lit torches at regular intervals along the palace walls, even if the moonlight was bright enough that the torches weren’t entirely needed; Olberic gave the young man an encouraging smile--he remembered those days--while Erhardt merely ignored him as he passed.

“Olberic?”

Olberic startled at Erhardt’s voice, as the two of them had been standing in companionable silence for so long.

“Yes?” he asked after regaining his composure.

“I have a new challenge for you.”

“Oh?” Olberic asked, intrigued. “It has been quite some time since our last.”

“So it has,” Erhardt agreed. 

“Well? What is it?” Olberic prompted when Erhardt fell silent, an almost _uncertain_ look briefly brushing across the man’s face. “And when shall it take place? Surely not now.”

None of their challenges had been held at night before, mostly because it avoided grievous bodily harm that way should a mistake be made.

“You already agree without knowing what it is?” Erhardt asked, incredulous.

“You have never challenged me to anything in the past that I have not been willing to participate in,” Olberic said. “And _you_ are always the one who comes up with the more interesting ones. So, when shall our challenge take place? Tomorrow?”

“I would actually prefer it be completed now,” Erhardt murmured, pointedly not looking at Olberic. “Although it can wait until we are done with guard duty.”

Olberic’s curiosity deepened; he had never seen Erhardt even remotely _flustered_ before. No matter the prior challenge, regardless of how embarrassing or stupid it was, Erhardt had never seemed anything other than completely at ease. However, Olberic could just make out in the moonlight that Erhardt wore a blush that stained his cheeks almost as red as his shirt. 

“Erhardt?” Olberic asked, mildly concerned. “If this _challenge_ is in fact a dare from one of the other soldiers--”

Erhardt shook his head slowly. “No, it is no dare.”

“Then what is wrong?” Olberic asked and placed a hand on Erhardt’s shoulder. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Silence fell between them, awkward for the first time in _years_. 

“Erhardt?”

“I’m merely not sure how to _phrase_ it,” Erhardt said as he reached up and covered Olberic's hand with his own. 

“Then be blunt. You know I often miss subtlety.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” Erhardt drawled, and some of the tension left Olberic’s shoulders.

“And I doubt it can be any worse than the time we dared each other to enter the red light district out of uniform,” Olberic said as he pulled his hand away. “I still recall quite clearly how you were mistaken for an...employee of one of the houses.”

Erhardt scowled deeply at that, and his reaction made Olberic fight to not smile.

“You _are_ a beautiful man, Erhardt,” Olberic pointed out. “It isn’t terribly surprising that people would want to purchase your attention, which I am always flattered that I receive for free.”

“I suppose that this is a good enough lead-in to describing the challenge as any,” Erhardt murmured and turned enough to face Olberic fully before he caught and held Olberic’s eyes. 

Slowly, a smirk formed on Erhardt’s face before he said in a lighthearted, almost _teasing_ tone, “I want to know which one of us is the better kisser. To that end, I challenge you to kiss me as best you know how and I shall return the favor.”

Olberic _stared_ at Erhardt, stunned. 

_Well, out of all possible challenges, that is not one that I was expecting,_ Olberic thought.

“What?” Olberic said aloud.

“You heard me perfectly well, Olberic,” Erhardt responded. “Well, what say you? Do you still accept my challenge?”

“Of course, as always” Olberic responded without thinking. “But how do we judge the winner or loser?”

Erhardt actually looked a little surprised. “You...you _still_ agree to the challenge? Just like that?”

“You know that I will never back down when you challenge me.”

“Well, you...never really signaled that I am anything besides a _friend_ to you,” Erhardt said. “I felt it would be worthwhile to try, however.”

An odd tension settled between them and Olberic found himself working to not squirm. He was absolutely sure that if he--if _they_ \--followed through on _this_ particular challenge, if they actually kissed, there was no ambiguity about where further challenges would go. The prospect of doing something like _that_ with Erhardt was, in truth, mildly terrifying while simultaneously making something kin to eager anticipation curl through Olberic. 

Among his peers, Olberic was notorious for being aloof when it came to romantic advances; there had even been jokes about him having a vow of celibacy, which Olberic had vehemently denied. He was _very_ interested in sex--he just had better things to do, like train to become a peerless warrior that both he and his family could be proud of. His non-Erhardt friends took exception to what they considered an all-work-no-play attitude and had coaxed him out on the town to celebrate his eighteenth birthday, during which they had convinced him that sex was a final rite of passage into adulthood. 

The sex had been nice enough, but Olberic hadn’t seen the appeal afterwards, and felt bad for the woman whose time and body his friends had bought for him--he was sure that she received as little pleasure from it as he had, if not less.

“Well, I do. Accept your challenge, I mean,” Olberic repeated more firmly. “Although I fear I already know the outcome.”

Erhardt was a notorious heartbreaker of both men and women; he talked very big game, but rarely followed through, which left a trail of _frustrated_ potential lovers behind him. Olberic had been approached by more than one person who had wanted to know how to woo Erhardt and _keep_ him, since Olberic was Erhardt’s only true, lasting friend; Olberic had been able to do nothing except discourage them from trying. 

“You never know,” Erhardt said. “You could be naturally talented.”

Olberic laughed softly at that and shook his head. “You give me too much credit. Any skill I have comes through practice, and practice only.”

“Well, I would happily be your practice partner.”

Olberic fought to suppress a blush, but he was pretty sure he failed; the suggestive purr in Erhardt’s voice made heat pool in Olberic’s stomach and a shiver worked its way slowly down his back. 

“No. I refuse to be another casualty of your flirting,” Olberic said firmly, doing his best to ignore what his brain presented as _other_ things Erhardt could be a ‘practice partner’ for that were far more alluring than they had any right to be. “I accept your challenge, but it will be _only_ to fulfill that, then nothing more.”

A flash of both irritation and begrudging understanding crossed Erhardt’s face in succession before he nodded. “I understand.”

“I should kiss you now and just _lose_ so this doesn’t get dragged out more than it needs to,” Olberic said. In truth, it was because the kiss would necessarily have to be short, due to a combination of guilt and fear--Olberic was pretty sure that Good Soldiers didn’t kiss their incredibly handsome, skilled, and strong best friend while on guard duty. At least, he didn’t think that was something Good Soldiers did; he certainly hadn’t heard of others doing it.

“Although I do apologize in advance for being awful,” Olberic murmured before he closed the small distance between them, stepped deep into Erhardt’s personal space, and pulled him close. 

Erhardt’s eyes widened slightly--it appeared that he really hadn’t expected Olberic to agree to the challenge--and Olberic saw Erhardt’s brilliant green eyes shut before Olberic closed his own and pressed a hesitant, gentle, chaste kiss to Erhardt’s lips.

Even such a simple, almost _juvenile_ contact felt... _right_ , at least compared to what few kisses he had shared with others who had successfully temporarily seduced him. 

A thrill at kissing Erhardt _in the open_ , where their superiors could catch them and reprimand them for neglecting their duties, worked through him; however, he couldn’t let the kiss go on much longer or else he might not want to _stop_ kissing Erhardt, might want to actually try to _not lose_ the challenge, and the whole point _was_ to lose it, because he didn’t want to find out what it would take to win.

That, of course, was a blatant lie--he _desperately_ wanted to find out what would be required, but, at the same time, he wasn’t sure if it would be wise to do so.

Olberic pulled away, but Erhardt had a firm grip on his surcoat, which didn’t allow Olberic to go far.

“That wasn’t a kiss,” Erhardt said.

“It is all you will get,” Olberic replied and released Erhardt so he could pry Erhardt’s grip off his clothing. 

Before Olberic could successfully remove Erhardt’s grip, however, Erhardt stepped in nearly flush to Olberic’s body, which made Olberic reflexively step back and into the stone beside the ledge that Erhardt had been leaning against earlier. 

“You yourself said that you don’t back down from any challenge that I offer you,” Erhardt said, and Olberic struggled to not shiver at the low, dangerous heat in Erhardt’s voice. “So don’t mess around, and kiss me like you _mean_ it, Olberic Eisenberg.”

Olberic wasn’t breathing quite correctly as he said, “Erhardt, I do not know _how_. I don’t have the experience that you do and I don’t want to unnecessarily embarrass myself.”

“Well, then, I still have to reciprocate, don’t I?” Erhardt said. “That _was_ part of the challenge. You kissed me--now it is my turn to kiss you.”

Erhardt stepped in, pressed himself fully against Olberic, then tugged him down into another kiss.

Earlier that day, if anyone had asked Olberic what he would do if Erhardt kissed him, he would have shrugged and said that Erhardt never would and that the rumors were bullshit; just because Erhardt was sinfully attractive didn’t mean Olberic was attracted to him or vice versa.

Olberic most certainly wouldn’t have said that he would respond to Erhardt’s kiss with _enthusiasm_ , following Erhardt’s lead before cautiously, happily taking the lead himself, passing it back, and receiving it again from Erhardt, an intimate dance of _sensation_ communicated through the smallest amount of contact. 

When Erhardt finally let them _breathe_ , Olberic’s hands rested on Erhardt’s lower back and Erhardt’s fingers were tangled in his (Olberic’s) hair. Olberic could feel himself shaking slightly; a part of him was calling himself five thousand different kinds of fool--falling for Erhardt was the absolute _worst_ thing he could possibly do. He had witnessed over and over again the kind of heartache that even just _wanting_ to be with Erhardt eventually engendered.

But, then Erhardt was kissing him again, and when Erhardt broke that kiss off, Olberic pulled him into another, and another after that, until Olberic’s head was spinning and he was hopelessly aroused and wondering if sex was worth a second try; he already knew what Erhardt looked like naked, but how different would it be if he was allowed to _touch_ as well as look?

When they finally stopped, Erhardt himself looked a little stunned as he stared up at Olberic. 

“I…” Erhardt swallowed to take a moment to compose himself before continuing. “I hadn’t anticipated that _this_ would be the outcome.”

It took Olberic a moment to slow his heart and breathing rates down to something more reasonable as he could only stare back at Erhardt. After what they had done, Erhardt was simply _more_ beautiful, which only further aroused him (Olberic)--to his shame and embarrassment.

_The rumors...are true?_ Olberic thought as he fought down too many emotions for him to make sense of. _That we’re attracted to each other? Because_ that _was something far different than a desire to best an opponent. Gods have mercy…I_ do _want him. I want...I want_ more _._ _  
_

“What happens now, Erhardt?” Olberic asked softly. His traitor brain provided him with suggestions as to what could happen, which his body thoroughly approved of, and it was a _struggle_ to resist an unfamiliar, clawing temptation.

Erhardt took a breath as if to speak, then shook his head. “I...I’m not sure. Gods, Olberic, I thought you’d _laugh_ at me or decline the challenge because you saw me only as a friend and doing anything like, like...like what we just did was unfathomable and distasteful to you.”

“Well, clearly it is not,” Olberic said.

“Clearly,” Erhardt repeated, fighting and losing against a smile. “And you were not nearly as awful a kisser as you feared. Then again, you are also an incredibly fast learner. Tell me, Olberic. What else would you like me to teach you?”

A thousand different possibilities rattled around in Olberic’s head, but he said, “As I said, I refuse to be a casualty of your flirting.”

“And you won’t be, I promise,” Erhardt said and traced the lines of Olberic’s face with his fingertips before letting his hands rest at the hollow of Olberic’s throat. “Hard as it may be to believe.”

“And I _want_ to believe you,” Olberic said, his voice soft. “I...I need time to think. For now, though, we should return to our duty. However, know that I _do_ want to...discuss...this later. We shouldn’t be here much longer.”

Erhardt smirked a little, the expression barely visible in the moonlight, and how he _looked_ at Olberic made Olberic’s stomach feel funny. 

“I look forward to it,” Erhardt purred, and Olberic despaired for his heart.

Olberic let go of Erhardt’s body and Erhardt’s hands ran down Olberic’s chest and torso, before falling away just as they reached his belt. Erhardt stepped away, and Olberic mourned the loss of the man’s presence and caught himself wondering what that would have felt like on bare skin.

Olberic remained leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he fought to master his body. They were lucky that none of their superiors had caught them in such an _intimate_ moment, but Olberic was sure that _someone_ had seen, and the confirmation of the rumor would spread like wildfire through the castle. 

He sighed, pushed himself away from the wall, and walked back to Erhardt’s side, standing beside him as the night deepened, Olberic’s mind torn between his duty to king and kingdom and pondering just what the feelings he had for Erhardt meant.


End file.
